Bat forming and feeding mechanism for hat-body-forming machines.



Patented Apr.. 3', I900.

P., c. WABING. BAT FDRMING AND FEEDING MECHANISM F08 HAT BODY FORMINGMACHINES.

(Application filed Feb. 10, 1900.) (No Model.)

//v VENTOH W/TIVEsSES THE Norms wzrzns cu. Puovoumq. WASHINGTON, n c.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

PIERRE C. WARING, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

BAT FORMING AND FEEDING MECHANISM FOR HAT-BODY-FORMING MACHINES.

SiEOIFIGATIN forming art of Letters Patent'No. 646,673, dated April 3,1900. Application filed February 10, 1900. Serial No. 4,760. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PIERRE 0-. WARING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork,'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bat Formingand Feeding Mechanism for Hat-Body-Forming Machines, of which thefollowing is a speci- 'fication. v a

' This invention has relation tocertain improvements in bat formingandfeeding mechanism for hat-body-forming machines such as shown anddescribed in my Patent No. 641,172, dated January 9, 1900. In themechanism referred to there is no provision for delivering to the pickerbats of approximatelyuniform thickness from end to end or, rather, batswhich are practically straight at the ends and which are atapproximately-equal distances apart. In the ordinary equalizers,due tothe action of the picker, the bat will be delivered much attenuated atboth ends, which will be also rough and very irregular in outline, inconsequence of which the bat is much more elongated than is necessaryand takes a longer period of time to pass through the feed-rollers ofthe forming-machine, thereby materially reducing the productive capacityof the forming-machine. The described attenuation at the ends lengthensthe bat beyond what is necessary for attaining the best results, andhence, even if the distances between the'bats and the time of theirdelivery into the cone-casing are always practically the same, theoutput of the machine cannot be as great as if the bats were fed in inless time, with the time between the feeding in of the successive batsmore accurate.

It is the object of the present invention to make the bats ofapproximately uniform thickness from end to end in such a manner as toproduce practically straight and thickened ends, so as to overcome thecoils or load results incident to attenuated ends and to thereby givethe attendant more certain or definite time between the formation ofeach hat-body for the performance of his manipulations, whereby theoutput of the machine may be increased and the quality of work improved.

To these ends my invention consists of cer tain features of constructionand combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinalsection of my bat forming and feedin g mechanism for hat-body-formingmachines shown in connection with an automatic feeding and weighingmechanism. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail View showing the action of theend-straightener for the forward ends of the bats. Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view of the forward end-straightener. Fig. 4 is a plan viewshowing how the forward ends were made ragged and attenuated by theprior machines, and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing how the ends are madestraight by the present invention.

' Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates the hopper into which the fur ischarged; B, a

toothed apron for elevating the fur; B, a

clearer, and B a wiper arranged at the opposite side of the apron B, soas to detach the fur from the teeth of theapron and discharge it intothescale-pan or tilting platform 0 of the weighing mechanism 0. These partsare the same as covered by my Patents Nos. 628,878 and 628,879, datedJune 11,1899, and need not be further described in detail.

From the scale-pan or tilting platform 0 the fur weighed out is droppedonto an endless conveyer D, above which there is journaled in suitablebearings of a trough D a distributer D which distributes the fur aboutthe apron before it reaches its discharge end. At the discharge end ofthe apron there is arranged a frame E, which supports a fur-equalizingchamber or casing F. A pair of feed-rollers g g is journaled in suitablebearings in said chamber or casing F adjacent to the discharge end ofsaid apron and is adapted to feed the fur issuing from ,the apron to atoothed cylinder or picker H,

which is journaled in suitable bearings in said casing at a suitabledistance above the bottom of the casing. The toothed cylinder H rapidlyrotates in the direction of the arrow and throws the fur passingfrombetween the rollers g g up into the chamber or casing F, so that itfalls in a shower and is deposited evenly and in fiocculent conditionover the surface of the upper lap of an endless apron I, which passesover rollers i t", journaled in the casing, the discharge end of saidapron I extending through the open end f of the casing F. The apron I isdriven by a belt P, passing over a pulley or roller 1? and over a largeband-pulley P, which is driven from a suitable source of power,- theshaft of said pulley I" carrying a smaller pulley 1), over which passesa belt 7, which drives the endless conveyer D. Near to the delivery endof apron I there is arranged a feed-roller J, journaled in suitablebearings and adapted to form contact with the upperlap of said apron Iand in connection therewith to form of the fur which has been depositedon the apron a uniformly-thick, unbroken, continuous, and fluffybat,which is conveyed from the apron I in between a pair of parallelendless conveyer-aprons K K, which pass over suitable guide-rollers 70713 is W, journaled in suitable bearings of the frame E. The aprons K Kconvey the bat upwardly onto a shelf or ledge R, from whence it fallsonto a horizontal feed-apron K which passes over the guide-rollers 763 kdriven at a rate of speed less than that of the apron I by means of abelt q, passing from aforesaid pulley 1), gears q g and a belt 1 whichpasses over a pulley g on the upper roller k of apron K. Feed-rollers anare arranged next the guide-roller k while between the rollers n n andthe cone-casing L there is arranged a picker ortoothed cylin der 0,which rotates very rapidly and disintegrates the fibrous bat issuingfrom under the roller n and throws the individual fur fibers into thecasing L.

The shelf or ledge R is provided with a setting-piece 7, which fits intothe space between the roller k and the apron K and extends from edge toedge of the feed-apron K said shelf extending over and a short distancealong said apron K so that the forward end of the bat will first fallthereonto and accumulate to a certain and desired thickness before beingtaken along by the apron K When the machine is in operation, the furdeposited upon the apron D will by the conjoint action of thefeed-rollers g g and the toothed cylinder H be fed and disintegrated andthe individual fibers thrown up into the equalizing chamber or casing Iand will fall in a shower and be deposited evenly and in a fluffycondition upon the upper lap of the conveyer-apron I. Now as the apron Iand feed-roller J move faster than the parallel conveyor-aprons K K thebat formed by the apron I and feed-roller J is forced or crowded intothe space between aprons K K, because the latter act to retard the morerapid feed of the bat. In this way the bat is shortened, so that whenthesaid parts are properly timed, in accordance with the timing of theweighing mechanism, there will be two or The aprons K K are more bats onthe way to the cone-easin g. Also by the same means the rear end of thebat, heretofore attenuated, is thickened and to a certain extentstraightened, because the thin layer of fibers behind is forced up tothe thickened body of the bat. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5, the raggedforward ends of the bats as they are fed from the aprons K K areattenuated or thinner than the body which is passing between the aprons,and they are hence flabby or weak, so much so, in fact, that the thinnerragged end is not shoved along and does not move directly forward uponthe shelf R forming the end-straightener, but lags behind and istemporarily retained by its friction on the said shelf, so that it isbent back under the incroaching adjacent portion ofthe bat, aboutrasshown, until the bent or folded portion has become thick enough to holdits own against the tendency of the shelf to turn it under stillfurther. The described action in turning under the thin ragged or ii'-'regular end of the bat straightens the sothickened end transversely.When the forward end of the bat is thick and substantial enough, theincroaching portion of the bat pushes the end ofi the said shelf orendstraightener, whereupon the feed-apron K takes up the bat and feedsthe same forward without any knots or tangles to the picker or toothedcylinder 0, which takes up and dis integrates the bat and throws theindividual fibers into the cone-casing L, which are then sucked down anddeposited onto the cone N. As bat after bat is fed from the aprons K Kthe thin forward ends are turned under and straightened, so that thetime that it takes for each bat to reach the picker 0 may be known withsome degree of certainty, thus giving the attendant less care and morecertain time between the formation of each hatbody and by the shorteningof the bats and the thickening and straightening of their for ward andrear ends enabling the turning out of more hat-bodies within a givenspace of time.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters -Patent, is-

1. In bat forming and feeding mechanism for hat-body-forming machines,the combination, with a pair of parallel bat-conveying aprons, ofmechanism moving at a greater rate of speed than said conveying-apronsfor feeding the bat thereto, substantially as set forth.

2. In bat forming and feeding mechanism for hat-body-forming machines,the combination, with means for forming the bats, and means contiguousthereto for feeding the bats forward, of means for straightening theforward ends of the bats, said means being arranged beyond the ingoingend of and in connection with the means for feeding, substantially asset forth.

3. In bat forming and feeding mechanism for hat-body-forming machines,the combination, with means forming the bats, and a pair In testimonythat I claim the foregoing as of parallel bat-conveying aprons to whichthe my invention I have signed my name in presformed bat is fed, of anend-straightener at ence of two subscribing Witnesses.

the outgoing ends of said aprons whereby the forward ends of the batsare straightened Witnesses: and formed into proper thickness, substan-PAUL GOEPEL, tially as set forth; M. H. WURTZEL;

PIERRE C; WVARING;

